Demos, tournaments and cosplays — Video Game Fest 2016 has something for everyone

College students and gaming addicts in Pune are in for a treat this Sunday, as the day-long ‘Video Game Fest 2016’ comes to their city for the first time. All thanks to Bengaluru’s Dumadu Games, as well as French multinational video game developer Ubisoft. After hosting two successful editions in the past in Bengaluru and seeing crowds flock from in and around Karnataka, Dumadu Games decided to spread its wings. They also plan to throw this game party in Delhi by August.

The fest will bring together 20 established and indie names from the Indian gaming circuit, and host tournaments, game demos, and even a cosplay. You can also buy gaming merchandise, as well as learn to build gaming computers. There will be something for all age-groups, so you can choose from an array of mobile, PC, console or even Virtual Reality (VR) games.

New on the block
Many games and gaming devices will be launched at the fest. Dumadu Games itself will launch its version of Google Cardboard games (a DIY virtual reality headset), and Dream Run (an endless running game for Android TV). Ubisoft will unveil Rainbow Six Siege (a first person shooter game), Asassins’s Creed Chronicles (features a 2.5D world inspired by traditional brush paintings) and The Crew Wild Run (car racing). Then there’s Ubisoft’s 2016 edition of motion sensor game Just Dance. With this, you can groove like Bruno Mars to his Uptown Funk. And if you are out with your kids, they will be delighted with Rabbids Appisodes, an Apple TV game that features seven interactive episodes of the Rabbids Invasion series.

Indie lot
The event will also see offerings from about eight indie developers. You can take charge of the battleground in Scribbled Arena, developed by Mumbai’s Apar Games. Or, experience the hack-and-slash epic game Asura by Hyderabad’s Ogre Head Studio.

Virtual world
Avid Virtual Reality (VR) gamers can walk in with a smile, assures Trupti Latur, CEO of the Video Game Fest 2016. “It’s the latest craze, and we have a line-up of VR games, such as Highway Stunt Bike Riders, Boost and Sniper,” she says. You can also try on the Absentia Tesseract VR headset, which is dubbed as India’s Oculus Rift and is developed by graduates of Bits Pilani, Goa.

Competition corner
eSports (electronic sports) will be another highlight of the day, Latur tells us, adding, “We’ve also worked on the spectatorship aspect of eSports, and made arrangements for people to come, sit and watch these games.” You can compete in a bevy of eSports tournaments such as DOTA 2, CS:GO, FIFA 16; or battle it out over casual games such as COD, Subway surfers, Mortal Kombat X, Fruit Ninja and more.
January 31. Tickets (`100) available at the venue. At Seasons Mall Galleria, Pune. 9 am-9 pm. Details: videogamefest.com— Barkha Kumari